Skip to content

Lullabyhullaballoo!

lullabyhullaballooMick Inkpen
Hodder Children’s Books                       
Age 3-5


This is a gently rhythmic story about a princess’s bedtime with all sorts of imaginary scary creatures keeping her awake. Ghosts, dragons, giants and more are dealt with swiftly and soon find themselves helping to send the princess to sleep with a lullaby. The trouble is when the Princess is asleep, she snores, LOUDLY! There are lots of pictures to share and the story is great for reading aloud and joining in

lovemybooksactivitiesorangecentre

 

Share the story

Read aloud
Read the book aloud encouraging children to join in with ‘Sshing’ all the characters disturbing the princess as you do. Allow time for children to talk about what is happening and what they can see if the pictures when they want to.

Join in
As you re read the story children will enjoy joining in with more of the story, such as answering the question ‘What shall we do’ as you read it or the ‘Who me? Yes you!’ parts.

They will also enjoy joining in with the sounds stamping for the giant and oohing for the ghosts. Some keys or a can and spoon will help them rattle and clunk like the brave knights.

Talk about the story
Can children remember all the different characters in the story?
– Which one is the scariest?
– Which one is the noisiest?
– How can all the characters get to sleep if the Princess is snoring?
– What can they do?


Things to make and do

Make puppets
Make stick puppets for some of the different characters in the story together – a dragon, ghosts, knights, a giant and bears. You can draw simple shapes on thin card,  cut them out and stick onto handles made from lollysticks. Children can colour or decorate the puppet shapes.

Retell the story
Retell the story together using your puppets and a doll or soft toy in a makeshift bed as the princess.

Play a game
Take turns to say a character from the story to match with a sound they make eg

Parent: The wolves are …
Child:   Howling!
Child:   The Frogs are…
Parent: Croaking!
You don’t need to stick to the animals or the sounds in the story – it is fun to make some up as well.

Counting fun
Look at the page with all the characters singing to the Princess how many of each of the creatures can you see? Count them to check.

Sing a lullaby
Perhaps a lullaby will help the ghosts or dragon sleep – have fun changing the words of a well known one eg ‘Hush little baby’ could become ‘Hush little dragon’

Find out more

Read about more books by Mick Inkpen here.  

Titles include:

Threadbear

Just like Jasper

Jasper’s beanstalk

Kipper

* Kipper’s Birthday

Kipper’s Toybox

* See more lovemybooks ideas

 

Make a stick puppet

picture 2 stick puppetsPuppets can be a great way of retelling a story, whether this is a folk or fairy story such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears or something from a modern picture book such as Dylan’s Amazing Dinosaurs (there are instructions for making a pterodactyl stick puppet with our ideas for sharing this book).

Simple puppets can be made with the shapes of characters cut out of stiff paper or card and decorated with crayons or pens and then stuck on a ‘handle’ made from a lolly stick or folded piece of card. The cutting might be too tricky for little fingers but your child could definitely join in with the colouring and sticking.

 

Pterodactyl stick puppet
Make a pterodactyl stick puppet – see how here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stick puppet templates for Goldilocks and the Three Bears

You just need to cut them out so that your child can decorate them and stick them on a lolly stick or card handle. Then you are ready to tell the story together!

picture from how to make stick puppets2

 

 Download Goldilocks and Three Bears stick puppets here

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

untitledEric Carle
Puffin
Age 0-5

This book, published in 1969, is a picture book classic. It tells the story of a greedy caterpillar searching for food. As the caterpillar nibbles its way through different foods, your child will not only enjoy the story but be introduced to the life cycle of a butterfly, the days of the week, practise their counting.

lovemybooksactivitiesorangecentre

Share the story

Read aloud
Read the story aloud, taking time to look closely at the pictures when your child wants to and pointing out the little egg on the leaf, the fruits and the different foods the caterpillar ate on the Saturday page as you do.

Join in
When you re read the book children might enjoy finishing the sentences eg ‘On Monday he ate…..’ they can pretend to be the caterpillar and poke a finger through the holes. Perhaps you could draw a face on a little finger to make this even more fun! Count the fruits together; pointing to them as you do.

Tell the story
Children could tell the story to you in their own words using the pictures to guide them. You might find that children read the words to the same rhythm when they read as you do or use some of the phrases they remember from the book.

Watch the story
Listen to Eric Carle, the author read the story of the Very Hungry Caterpillar.


Things to make and do

At the shops look  for different fruits, talk about them and buy some if you can. If you are lucky enough to be near a farm you could look at them growing or pick your own perhaps.

At home put some pieces of fruit in a row and count them together. How many bananas/apples do we have? Encourage children to taste different fruits, perhaps trying something they haven’t tasted before.

Play a  game Make up a word game with different things the caterpillar might eat eg ‘On Monday he ate one tomato’,On Tuesday he ate two bananas etc…’

Make playdough fruit Using playdough or plasticine create different fruits and foods together like the ones in the story. Talk about what you are doing with the playdough (rolling and squeezing) as you do.

Make a butterfly picture You need paper and  paint. Fold the paper in half and then open it out again. Your child can blob coloured paint along the fold line. Fold in half again and gently squeeze the paint between the paper towards the corners. Open out carefully to discover a beautiful colourful butterfly!

Be a butterfly spotter

Look out for butterflies when you are out and about and talk about their colours and how they move.


Find out more

Read more books by author/illustrator Eric Carle here

Titles include: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? The Tiny Seed

Have You Seen My Cat? The Mixed Up Chameleon The Very Busy Spider

Talk about healthy and unhealthy foods

Talk about  healthy and unhealthy foods, what is best for caterpillars to eat – and what is healthy for humans too.

Find out more about butterflies and caterpillars here

Talk about the life cycle of a butterfly from the information you have found out. Children could draw the story of the butterfly’s life cycle on  a large circle of paper divided into four sections.

Cut out and collect pictures of butterflies and caterpillars from magazines and make a scrap book. Talk about the similarities and differences between them from the link above or information books.

Children who are very interested in caterpillars and butterflies might enjoy visiting a butterfly house if you have one nearby or even growing a butterfly from eggs – kits available from some educational suppliers.

Big Green Crocodile


Jane Newberry, illus. Carolina Rabei
Otter Barry Books
Age 0-3

This is a delightful book full of rhymes which are perfect for babies and toddlers. Each rhyme is beautifully illustrated. The writer has included useful ideas for engaging your child playfully with each of the rhymes so as well as our selection of these and additional suggestions do try out the other ideas in the book too. You will soon be adding new ideas of your own to have fun with the rhymes.

lovemybooksactivitiesorangecentre

Share the story

Read Aloud
This is a book to dip into you will develop your own favourite rhymes and as you and your child become familiar with them find yourselves saying them at different times and joining in the actions together.Have fun marching and roaring like a monster as you say the first verse of ‘Monster March!’

Bounce your child on your knee as you read ‘My Camel’ and ‘Hungry Horse.’
Let older children climb on your back for an exciting ‘Brontosaurus Ride.’
Wobble together as you say the ‘Wibble-Wobble Clown.’
Pick your child up and get ready for take off in ‘Moon Rocket.’
‘Fish Tales’ is lovely for bathtime and ‘Big Green Crocodile’, which ends with ‘I lay down beside him and slept until dawn’ is perfect for bedtime. 

As well as enjoying the rhymes spend time looking at the lovely illustrations together and talking about them.

Watch Jane Newberry perform the title poem

https://vimeo.com/622456538

It was lovely to share some of the rhymes from ‘Big Green Crocodile’ by Jane Newberry. I looked at the book with Nancy aged 16 months. She prefers to be active so will not sit for long. I therefore found it easier to record some of the rhymes on my phone. This meant I could learn them off by heart and play them, singing along, while we were playing outside, or dancing along on my lap, or generally moving around.

Nancy loves being outside so the first rhyme we did was ‘Tap the tree’ We looked for a sturdy stick each and she loved holding a big stick. She thought it was hilarious when I started tapping the tree with my stick and sang the rhyme. Each time we went to the park or the woods I sang the rhyme to her and she soon learnt to tap the tree when I did so. This led to us looking for sticks to collect, and I was able to use this to develop her language skills by saying,’that ones a small stick, my stick is shorter/ thicker that yours, can you find a longer stick.’ Nancy loves posting things, so I gave her a box with various holes in and she spent a long time seeing which sticks would fit through which hole. We spent time feeling the bark of the trees, looking up at the branches and trying to climb them!

Another favourite rhyme is ‘Five Buzzy Bees’. I learnt the rhyme off by heart so I could do the actions at the same time as reciting it. A lot of the rhymes lend themselves to having Nancy on my lap. With this rhyme she sat on my lap, and I lifted her arms up and then down low, touched her head then her knees. When Nancy was more familiar with it, I said the rhyme as we danced around the room. We made headbands each and wore them as we danced, waving our arms and buzzing around. Nancy loves flap books or peek hole books, so I found some about bees which we looked at together. I talked about the pictures and Nancy enjoyed pointing and ‘naming’ things. In the garden and park, we looked at the flowers and saw and heard bees. I showed her how to keep her distance from the bees… to look and not touch. Nancy loved looking at the flowers and gently touching the petals. Again, it gave many opportunities for language development, naming the different colours and saying what the flowers felt like. We also noticed and watched other insects in the garden such as ants, flies and woodlice.

Nancy enjoyed ‘Tickle Beetle’ as she loves to be tickled, especially her toes. I used a small soft toy that looked like a cuddly insect, as I sang the rhyme. The toy ran around her tummy, jumped on her nose, ran down her leg and jumped up and down on her toes. Nancy held the toy and made it jump up and down on me as I sang the rhyme. We also used the toy to jump up and down on grandpa’s nose and tummy. We looked in the garden for insects amongst the grass and flowers. We collected bits of grass, leaves and petals in a small plastic container, and I put a ladybird in that we had found. We watched it together, and I let Nancy have it crawl on her hand. I showed her how to be gentle with it, and showed her how we must put it back in the garden after we have watched it for a while. We did some finger painting with red paint, making dots with our fingers. When it had dried we used black paint to add dots with a small brush. Nancy loves painting and mark making, but is too young to see we had made little ladybirds! She enjoyed the experience though. I sang other rhymes about insects such as ‘Ladybird, ladybird’ and ‘Incy Wincy Spider’ and Nancy enjoyed trying to join in the actions.

Another popular rhyme was ‘Hungry horse’. We sat together on the floor, and I sang the rhyme as Nancy and I played percussion instruments. Nancy loves playing music and has a variety of instruments including bongo drums. We played the rhythm faster and faster, then slower and slower. I followed Nancys lead as she led the speed of the beats. When she stopped playing, I stopped and when she started again, I started. Nancy was full of laughter as she controlled what I did. We played the beats on a xylophone, tambourine, chime bar and wood block. We also had two old coconut shell halves, used before for bird food, and clip clopped those together, dancing around the room as we did so.

Things to make and do

Out and About
Look out for bees when you say, ‘Buzzy Bee’ and beetles when you have shared ‘Tickle Beetle.’
Lie on the grass to look at the sky for some ‘Plane Spotting.’
Find a stick to ‘Tap the Tree.’

Indoors
Bake some cakes together in case ‘The Queen Comes to Tea.’
Play with a toy fish in the bath or a paddling pool when you say, ‘Fish Tales.’
Finger paint some ‘Spots and Stripes.’ or ladybirds for ‘Tickle Beetle.’
A cardboard box can make a great imaginary rocket for ‘Moon Rocket.’
Use percussion instruments or a wooden spoon and a saucepan to beat the rhythm of different rhymes such as ‘Hungry Horse.’

Find out More

Share more books by Jane Newberry
Sackful of Songs
A Sackful of Christmas

For more original rhymes see A Great Big Cuddle by Michael Rosen illustrated by Chris Riddell.

Our top 10 counting books

Counting books offer lots of fun opportunities for learning about numbers and counting.

elmer counting bookElmer’s First Counting Book  David McKee
Andersen Press
Age 0-3

In this bright and attractive elephant shaped counting book children will meet Elmer and some of his friends. Count the animals on each page and talk about what they are all doing.
See lovemybooks ideas for sharing the first story about Elmer.

alpphaprintsAlphaprints 123  Roger Priddy
Priddy Books
Age 0-5

A board book with lovely textured animal pictures made from finger prints. It would be fun to make your own using finger paint. Includes numbers up to ten and a counting rhyme on every page.

Count to 100  Felicity BrooksSophia Touliatou (Illus)
Usborne
Age 3-7

This is a very attractive book with gorgeous illustrations to count on every page including flowers, animals, and the night sky: from one full moon to 100 twinkling stars. Young readers are encouraged to count in ones up to twenty and then introduced to whole tens (30, 40, 50 etc) to 100.

In addition to the counting on every page other concepts are introduced (eg first and last, lowest and highest) and there is plenty to spot, ‘I’m the biggest [animal]’ says the whale which is the smallest? Every double page provides lots to talk about together. Readers are encouraged to voice preferences – which flower do you prefer?

Watch the publisher’s introduction to the book: 

Count with little fish Lucy Cousins
Walker
Age 0-3

This is a perfect first counting book for the very young. The illustrations of the different fish (thin fish, fat fish, shy fish and scary fish) are beautiful, brightly coloured and patterned and might inspire some ‘fishy’ painting. Numbers are included as words and numerals. There is a pleasing rhyme to the text making it tuneful to read aloud and return to.

 

one gorilla

Gorilla Anthony Browne
Walker Books
Age 0-5

Anthony Browne is one of our most successful picture book makers. Most of his books are for over sevens and if you know his work you will recognise that gorillas often feature. In this beautiful counting book with detailed illustrations a broad family of primates are the focus.

A Million Dots, Sven Völker
Cicada Books
Age 7-11

This book takes its readers from one to a million in twenty dramatic double page spreads.

Each spread includes numbers represented in digits and words, and sums which take you to the next page where the first challenge is to read the next number. The focus is on doubling and the speed with which you reach over a million is mind boggling. Parents and children will find themselves competing to see who can calculate the next number.

The illustrations highlight all that could (potentially!) be counted in the world around us from the number of apples on a tree, to the numbers of freckles on a face moving on to all that probably could not be counted such as the number of blades of grass on a sports field or stars in the sky. Children can be encouraged to look out for other examples in the world around them.

The design is bold and attractive and the final spread is an extra delight, a gatefold page emphasising the magnitude of the final number (1,048,576!)

hungry caterpillar thumbThe Very Hungry Caterpillar Eric Carle
Penguin
Age 0-5

A picture book classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar tells the story of a rather greedy little caterpillar searching for food. Children can count the foods the caterpillar nibbles through as well as learning about the life cycle of a butterfly, the days of the week and healthy eating.
See lovemybooks ideas for sharing The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

five little menFive Little Men in a Flying Saucer Dan Crisp (illus)
Child’s Play
Age 0-3

This is an illustrated version of the well-known rhyming song with holes for little fingers to explore. Great for joining in and counting the illustrations build a story alongside the rhyme.
See lovemybooks ideas for sharing Five Little Men in a Flying Saucer.Hippos go Berserk age 3-5 Sandra Boynton Simon and Schuster

one moose twenty miceOne Moose Twenty Mice Stella Blackstone and Clare Beaton
Barefoot Books
Age 3-5

A counting book with numbers up to 20. The lovely images are created from felt applique. As well as counting the animals there is fun to be had in spotting the cat hiding on every page.

countablockCountablock Christopher Franceschelli
Abrams Appleseed
Age 3-7

Beautifully designed, the thick pages of this book are cut into number shapes. Peep through to see what’s coming next. As well as a counting book there are transformations to discover with one egg becoming one chicken and two snowmen become two puddles. Numbers up to 100.

Hippos go Berserk  Sandra Boynton
Simon and Schuster
Age 3-5

First published in 1977, this tale of a hippo preparing for a party with groups of friends, helpers and an unexpected monster guest arriving is great fun. The groups of hippos can be counted as they arrive; with older children you might attempt a running total of the hippo arrivals. There is a climax midway through the book as the party gets going and the hippos go… berserk! This appears an all-night party and the next morning they gradually leave, so you can count down until one hippo is left all alone again.



Ten Fat Sausages 
Michelle Robinson, Tor Freeman (illus)
Andersen Press
Age 3-7

The ten fat sausages in this version include some rebels who refuse to comply with expectations. Disrupting the traditional rhyme, they try to escape before going ‘pop’ or ‘bang’. However their plans are thwarted when they each meet an equally awful fate within the kitchen. Definitely a case of out of the frying pan into the fire. Magnificently macabre with humour which will delight many children, this is not a book for the faint hearted! The illustrations are very striking with very expressive sausages and a rhyming text which skips along. As well as introducing the idea of subtracting twos this book would be great fun to read together – with one of you as narrator and the other as one of the would be escapees. You could have fun with dramatic sound effects. It may inspire more sausage storytelling with other bids for freedom.

Watch a trailer


Watch an animation of the original rhyme from the BBC website

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNNBHQTfb8k

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A New House for Mouse

new house for mousePetr Horacek
Walker Books                                            

Age 3-5

Tiny mouse is on a mission to find a new house large enough for her and her enormous, red apple. Nibbling her apple along the way, she tries to share the homes of several other animals, but none seems quite right. At the end of a long, dispiriting day, Mouse finds a house that’s a perfect for her and her apple …… core!

A richly coloured picture book with peepholes, repetition and humour.

 

lovemybooksactivitiesorangecentre

Share the storymouse2

Read aloud
Before reading the story, encourage children to look at the cover and to talk about what they notice. Then read through the story, pausing to talk about the pictures.

Talk about the story
Talk together about the story, encouraging children to predict what will happen next. Which part of the story do they like best and why.

Join in
As you read and reread the book, encourage children to join in where they can. Their confidence and enjoyment will grow as you reread the book together and children become more familiar with the story and the patterned language.

Tell the story
Using the pictures in the book, children can retell the story in their own words, perhaps using some of the repeated language from the book.

Things to make and do*

Play the story

Collect together  some toy animals to represent the characters in the story and cardboard boxes of different sizes to represent their homes. Cut holes in each of these for animals to squeeze through. Arrange the boxes around a room and go on Mouse’s journey together as you read the story. It would be fun for your child to have an apple to munch and watch getting smaller at the same time. 

Make a storymap
On a large piece of paper, children can draw what happens in the story as a simple map of Mouse’s journey. They may come to realise that Mouse travels in a circle, beginning and ending at her own home. If they want to, children can add captions or speech bubbles to their map. When it’s finished, they can tell you Mouse’s story, using their storymap to help them.

Make a cosy home for an animal
Using shoeboxes, egg boxes, cartons, fabric and natural materials from the park or garden, children can create an animal home for one (or more) of their animal toys. 

Be an artist
Cut an apple in half and encourage children to look carefully and to draw or paint what they see, both the inside and the outside. They could try printing with an apple too, perhaps using and mixing red and green paint.

No place like home
What do children especially like about their home? They can go on a hunt of their favourite things and photograph up to ten things to talk about with you.

Make a mouse finger puppet
Using paper, card, or felt plus glue, sellotape or a stapler, make cone shaped finger puppet. Children can add ears, eyes, nose, whiskers, and a tail (shoelace or length of wool). Make more than one puppet and children can create more mouse tales.

finger puppet

Mouse in felt by Nanabread’s Head

 

 

* With thanks to Lauren Price for some great activity ideas included here.

Find out more

See author website here

Read more books by Petr Horacek

Titles include:

Silly Suzy Goose

The Fly

Puffin Peter

Butterfly, Butterfly

Animal Counting

My Elephant

Find out more about mice here and here.

 

 

Fair shares

 

                                                                  Pippa Goodhart, illus Anna Doherty
Tiny Owl
Age 3-7

The pear tree is full of fruit which both Hare and Bear are eager to eat. Unfortunately, neither of them can reach. Hare comes up with a plan and gets chairs to climb on, two for him and one for Bear. But Bear doesn’t think this is fair, Hare has more chairs than him! However, when Hare has only one chair, he can’t reach the pears. The two friends have a problem, maybe Beetle (who doesn’t like eating pears!) can help.

A lovely picturebook with a simple story which asks a big and sophisticated question- are you being fair if you treat everyone the same?  A story which will prompt lots of conversations.

lovemybooksactivitiesorangecentre

Share the story

Watch the trailer

Read aloud

Read the story aloud, taking time to talk together about the pictures as you do. Encourage children to imagine what might happen next and turn the page to see if their predictions were right. Talking about the book deepens children’s enjoyment and understanding of the story.

Join in
Read the story again, this time leaving spaces for children to join in with the repeated phrases.

Tell the story
After hearing the story a few times, children will get to know it well. Encourage them tell it to you in their own words, with some words or phrases from the story, using the pictures to help them.

Talk about the story

Talk about the different animals in the  story

What does baby owl’s mummy look like?

Watch the story read aloud

Things to make and do

Storyplay
Children can use animal toys for the owl, squirrel and other animals to act out the story. It’s a really good way for them to get to know the story well and helps to build their confidence with books. They could also use finger puppets to tell the story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make a flap scene
Using paper or card and coloured pens, children can make a book to retell the story in their own words and pictures.

Make a game
Download the game sheet and cut out the cards to play a pairs game, matching the baby animals to their mothers. Then play the game by placing the cards face down so children need to remember where the cards are to match them.

Find out more

More books by Chris Haughton
Oh No George! Click to see our activities

Shh! We have a plan! Click to see our activities

Find out more about the author

 

A Bit Lost

 

Chris Haughton          
Walker
Age 0-5 years

Little Owl falls off his perch and is lost. Squirrel offers to help and introduces him to bear, rabbit and frog hoping that each one, in turn, is his mummy. Little Owl is finally reunited with his mother but, perhaps, not for long..

This multiple award-winning picture book is wonderfully illustrated, with quirky characters to convey this touching story with gentle humour.

lovemybooksactivitiesorangecentre

Share the story

Watch the trailer

Read aloud

Read the story aloud, taking time to talk together about the pictures as you do. Encourage children to imagine what might happen next and turn the page to see if their predictions were right. Talking about the book deepens children’s enjoyment and understanding of the story.

Join in
Read the story again, this time leaving spaces for children to join in with the repeated phrases.

Tell the story
After hearing the story a few times, children will get to know it well. Encourage them tell it to you in their own words, with some words or phrases from the story, using the pictures to help them.

Talk about the story

Talk about the different animals in the  story

What does baby owl’s mummy look like?

Watch the story read aloud

Things to make and do

Storyplay
Children can use animal toys for the owl, squirrel and other animals to act out the story. It’s a really good way for them to get to know the story well and helps to build their confidence with books. They could also use finger puppets to tell the story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make a flap scene
Using paper or card and coloured pens, children can make a book to retell the story in their own words and pictures.

Make a game
Download the game sheet and cut out the cards to play a pairs game, matching the baby animals to their mothers. Then play the game by placing the cards face down so children need to remember where the cards are to match them.

Find out more

More books by Chris Haughton
Oh No George! Click to see our activities

Shh! We have a plan! Click to see our activities

Find out more about the author

 

Everybody’s Welcome

Patricia Hegarty, illus. Greg Abbott
Caterpillar Books
Age 3-5 years

Mouse dreams of a happy future in a house of his own. But then he meets several animals all in need of shelter including a frog whose pond has dried up and birds whose tree has been cut down. Mouse decides to happily share the dream home he is building. Word spreads and many more animals arrive. Working together they build mouse’s dream house just in time to shelter from the rain and celebrate together.

Everybody’s Welcome is a beautiful picturebook with delightful illustrations. The clever cut outs and cropped pages capture the growing number of animals arriving and the hive of activity as the house is built.

The rhyming text and repetitive refrain of ‘Everybody’s welcome’ will encourage children to join in as you reread the book. There are important themes to talk about here including the impact of humans on animal habitats and the importance of being welcoming and of working as a team. It is easy to spot the parallels with humans and the reasons they might lose their homes and seek sanctuary.

A positive, warm hearted picture book offering plenty for young readers to think about.

 

lovemybooksactivitiesorangecentre

Share the story

Read aloud
Read the story aloud to your child, pausing to look at all the animals and activity in the detailed illustrations when your child wants to.

Join in
Children will quickly pick up on the rhyme and refrain. encourage them to join in with the chorus ‘Everybody’s welcome, no matter who they are, wherever they may come from, whether near or far.’

Talk about the story

  • Talk about the reasons the animals left their homes why for example people may have cut down the tree or why the pond may have dried up.

  • Share favourite illustrations.

  • Look at the illustration towards the back of the book of all the animals working on the house together. What jobs are they doing? What sort of things would different animals be good at? This might also lead to a discussion about the kinds of jobs involved in building a house.

Things to make and do

Play the story
Have imaginary conversations between the characters animals seeking shelter and the mouse. Use soft toys, or you could make finger puppets.

Make a welcome sign
On a large piece of paper children could draw or paint a welcome sign like the ones in the story.

Make a mini book with graduated pages
Take four pieces of A 4 paper and fold them in half. Then cut a 3cm strip off the left side of one of them, a 6 cm strip off the second and a 9cm strip off the third leaving the last piece of paper uncut. Place them on top of each other with the complete sheet on the bottom and the smallest on top. You could sew the sheets along the fold to keep them together.

Children could use this mini book to make their own version of the story or to make their own book about animal habitats.

Create a habitat
Find out about minibeasts and their habitats (see below). Collect some snails, or woodlice and recreate a habitat for them at home using a container such as an old fish tank. Look after the creatures by supplying their correct food and providing the right environment for them. Observe them for a few days before releasing back into the wild

Find out more

Other books by Patricia Hegarty include:

Bug Bear with Carmen Saldana

Above and Below with Hanako Clulow

We are Family with Ryan Wheatcroft

Other books illustrated by Greg Abbott include
There’s a Dragon in your Book  and There’s a Monster in your Book with Tom Palmer.

Find out about animal homes and habitats from information books and the internet.

Amazing Animal Homes by Chris Packham and Jason Cockcroft | Find out about how we can protect the natural environment and the habitats of wild life.

How to Help a Hedgehog and Protect a Polar Bear by Jess French, ill. Angela Keoghan,

Go on a Minibeast hunt 
Talk about the different habitats needed for different animals. See here

 

 

Tetherdown Primary School

We are delighted that our website and resources have been helpful to Tetherdown Primary School, North London in their new reading workshops for parents. Reading Coordinator Meera Pow told us:

‘We ran 2 workshops open to the KS1 parents and had a great turn out. We decided to run the workshops to offer the parents new strategies to support their children in developing reading for pleasure. We have noticed that parents often aren’t aware how important it is to read to their child regularly, especially at this age, when their children are becoming more independent readers. We all love to listen to a story and children can learn so much about language, rhythm, rhyme and new vocabulary from having a story read aloud to them.

I used the presentation from the website and tweaked it slightly and then I showed them the website with an example book and activity page so they understood the layout. We gave the parents ideas of how to develop book talk with their children and questions to promote discussions and to develop the children’s opinions and preferences.’

Some of Lovemybooks favourite titles were introduced during the sessions including How to Hide a Lion, Superbat and Oliver’s Vegetables. Parents and children also took part in some story related activities including making Superbat finger puppets and lion masks.

‘The parents and children really enjoyed the workshops and many parents said it has given them a new way to approach story time with their children.’

Find out more about setting up Lovemybooks reading cafes
Find out more about supporting your child with reading